International Women's Day 2016 Statement

"Let us wake up! We’re out of time. We must shake our conscience free of the rapacious capitalism, racism, and patriarchy that will only assure our own self-destruction."- Berta Cáceres

We dedicate this year’s International Women’s Day actions to Berta Cáceres, co-founder of COPINH (Civic Council of Grassroots and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras) and social movement leader who was assassinated in her own home on March 3, 2016 for the work that she did to fight the Honduran government and transnational corporations.

Berta was a key leader against the 2009 coup which ousted a progressive President. Honduras had been a repressive place for decades, but the coup was supported and backed by US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and directly heightened conditions for repression against activists protecting their communities. Women’s leadership have been at the forefront of these struggles, and have also been the targets of violence. Combined with the criminalization of protest, there have been death threats to her and countless other organizers.

Her murder is a timely reminder of our own elections. We know the dual impact of whoever becomes the next US president will have on communities, not only here in the US, but also on people around the globe. This International Women’s Day, we raise our voices for justice for Berta and countless struggles that US neoliberalism is implicated in. We need to fight the right and challenge the culture of fear and hatred, as well as the military and economic conditions and policies that set the stage for brutal and inhumane repression like the assassination of our dear sister Berta to occur.

Berta aligned herself with indigenous peoples struggles, anti-mining and extractivism, and women’s and peasants movements. She was an unrelenting fighter for her peoples, a feminist, an internationalist, and a revolutionary. Berta fought for life, for land, for dignity, and for happiness! We commit ourselves to continue organizing and living in her legacy.

GGJ #IWD2016 Live Tweet Action to #FightTheRight during Republican DebateThursday, March 10, from 9pmET-11pmETFollow us @ggjalliance

Grassroots Global Justice Alliance launched the US chapter of the World March of Women last year to create a vehicle for grassroots organizations in the US with an internationalist perspective and a gender justice framework, to connect their local issues to a global movement that is much larger than the sum of our parts.

For International Women’s Day this year, we are saying: Enough, Ya Basta! to all the issues that impact women, children, and families. Under the banner of #DefendingDignity of Our Bodies, Our Communities, and Mother Earth, GGJ members are taking actions around detention centers and jails, connecting criminal justice with environmental justice with reproductive justice, and envisioning what a world where women and families are centered will look like. This past weekend there have already been actions and activities in San Antonio, Seattle, and the Bay Area. And we are looking forward to more actions in the coming days. Check our website and facebook page for up-to-date information on the actions our members are leading across the country for International Women’s Day!

On March 10th, as the Republican Presidential candidates debate in Miami, FL, GGJ member Miami Workers Center, will be taking action at the debate, and we are asking you to join us in live-tweeting from around the country, to support our members on the ground, and to interrupt and counter all the candidates’ messages of hate, xenophobia, and patriarchy.

Use the following hashtags in your tweets and follow us on Twitter @ggjalliance and on Facebook on March 10th from 9-11pm Eastern.#FightTheRight#DefendingDignity#IWD2016

In the spirit of Berta Cáceres and celebrating International Women’s Month, and in defense of our people and our land, we will raise our voices, defend our dignity, and keep marching until all of us are free!

For more information and to join in on the action, email Helena Wong, WMW national organizer at helena@ggjalliance.org or call at (917) 270-0322.

Grassroots Global Justice (GGJ) is an alliance of 60 US-based grassroots organizing groups building an agenda for power for low-income people and communities of color. The membership of GGJ adopted a framework in 2011 that calls for a holistic approach to building grassroots global justice: No War, No Warming, Build an Economy for the People and the Planet. We bridge together US-based grassroots organizing groups and global social movements working for climate justice, an end to war, and a Just Transition to the next feminist economy that meets the needs of the people and the planet. www.ggjalliance.org

The World March of Women (WMW) is a global feminist action network. The WMW started in 1995 as a call for women to march and take action around issues of poverty and violence in Quebec. In 2000, the World March of Women became a worldwide movement to connect women’s struggles globally. The areas of action are around Peace and demilitarization, Violence against women, Women's work / Women's economic autonomy, Common good and public services. GGJ is the 65th National Coordinating Body of the WMW, the national chapter in the US. www.worldmarchofwomen.org